Quick take: Palmer-to-Johnson sees Bengals past Titans, 27-23
It was over when
Carson Palmer found Chad Johnson in the end zone from 5 yards out to cap a 10 play, 78 yard drive that put the Bengals up by 4 points with only 20 seconds left on the clock.
Game ball
With T.J. Houshmandzadeh sidelined by a sprained elbow he suffered last week in Baltimore, Chad Johnson stepped up big time to register his best game of the season. He terrorised Tennessee’s defense (ranked second in the NFL) with 7 catches for 190 yards, including several long bombs and the game winning TD.
Key stat
The Bengals defense held Tennessee’s feared ground attack to only 63 yards on 25 carries. This allowed Cincinnati to drop extra defenders into coverage, and third-string QB Chris Simms (starting in place of Kerry Collins and Vince Young, both out with injuries) was unable to make anything happen.
Noteworthy
Both teams were a combined 0-for-15 on third down conversions in the first half... Tennessee’s only TDs were scored by the defense: Keith Bulluck ran back an interception 27 yards in the first quarter, and Chris Carr added an 81 yard score off a Palmer pick in the third quarter... The Bengals’ Pro Bowl DE Robert Geathers had 3 sacks... Cedric Benson found just enough running room (89 yards on 19 attempts) to keep the Titans’ defense honest... The Bengals now travel to San Diego to face the Chargers. The last time these teams met in an AFC Championship Game, the Bengals advanced to their first ever Super Bowl when they beat the Charger 27-7 in the famous 1982 “Freezer Bowl”.
